How Jupiter's unusual magnetospheric topology structures its aurora

Jupiter's bright persistent polar aurora and Earth's dark polar region indicate that the planets' magnetospheric topologies are very different. High-resolution global simulations show that the reconnection rate at the interface between the interplanetary and jovian magnetic fields is too slow to generate a magnetically open, Earth-like polar cap on the time scale of planetary rotation, resulting in only a small crescent-shaped region of magnetic flux interconnected with the interplanetary magnetic field. Most of the jovian polar cap is threaded by helical magnetic flux that closes within the planetary interior, extends into the outer magnetosphere, and piles up near its dawnside flank where fast differential plasma rotation pulls the field lines sunward. This unusual magnetic topology provides new insights into Jupiter's distinctive auroral morphology.

Space weather. Ionospheric control of magnetotail reconnection

Observed distributions of high-speed plasma flows at distances of 10 to 30 Earth radii (R(E)) in Earth's magnetotail neutral sheet are highly skewed toward the premidnight sector. The flows are a product of the magnetic reconnection process that converts magnetic energy stored in the magnetotail into plasma kinetic and thermal energy. We show, using global numerical simulations, that the electrodynamic interaction between Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere produces an asymmetry consistent with observed distributions in nightside reconnection and plasmasheet flows and in accompanying ionospheric convection. The primary causal agent is the meridional gradient in the ionospheric Hall conductance which, through the Cowling effect, regulates the distribution of electrical currents flowing within and between the ionosphere and magnetotail.

Peer Review as a QA Tool in Environmental Applications

Peer Review is commonly applied during the final stage of a project and is used in the science community to determine the soundness of a conclusion and if the quality of information meets the standards of the scientific and technical community. Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures are most effective when applied to planning, then during the process stage of a project, and during the review of a product. The gold standard for validating the quality of a study's results is comparison with a referenced data set, model, or result (Azouzi, 1999). However, costs can severely limits this approach for many applications. This article proposes an additional means for quality assessment using peer review as a quality assessment tool during the planning, process, and review of a project.

Insulin expressing cells from differentiated embryonic stem cells are not beta cells

AIM/HYPOTHESIS

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have been proposed as a potential source of tissue for transplantation for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. However, studies showing differentiation of beta cells from ES cells are controversial. The aim of this study was to characterise the insulin-expressing cells differentiated in vitro from ES cells and to assess their suitability for the treatment of diabetes.

METHODS

ES cell-derived insulin-expressing cells were characterised by means of immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and functional analyses. Activation of the Insulin I promoter during ES-cell differentiation was assessed in ES-cell lines transfected with a reporter gene. ES cell-derived cultures were transplanted into STZ-treated SCID-beige mice and blood glucose concentrations of diabetic mice were monitored for 3 weeks.

RESULTS

Insulin-stained cells differentiated from ES cells were devoid of typical beta-cell granules, rarely showed immunoreactivity for C-peptide and were mostly apoptotic. The main producers of proinsulin/insulin in these cultures were neurons and neuronal precursors and a reporter gene under the control of the insulin I promoter was activated in cells with a neuronal phenotype. Insulin was released into the incubation medium but the secretion was not glucose-dependent. When the cultures were transplanted in diabetic mice they formed teratomas and did not reverse the hyperglycaemic state.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Our studies show that insulin-positive cells in vitro-differentiated from ES cells are not beta cells and suggest that alternative protocols, based on enrichment of ES cell-derived cultures with cells of the endodermal lineage, should be developed to generate true beta cells for the treatment of diabetes.

Implementing and auditing electronic recordkeeping systems used in scientific research and development

Electronic recordkeeping is increasingly replacing handwritten records in the course of "normal business." As this trend continues, it is important that organizations develop and implement electronic recordkeeping policies and procedures. This is especially true for research and development organizations because of the potential to transform a discovery into a patent, and at times patent application contests are resolved in litigation. This paper provides a basis for the development, implementation, and subsequent assessment of a research and development recordkeeping policy. The approach described in this paper should be tailored by the organization adopting this approach to meet the needs of their organization.

The solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere system

The solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere form a single system driven by the transfer of energy and momentum from the solar wind to the magnetosphere and ionosphere. Variations in the solar wind can lead to disruptions of space- and ground-based systems caused by enhanced currents flowing into the ionosphere and increased radiation in the near-Earth environment. The coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere is mediated and controlled by the magnetic field in the solar wind through the process of magnetic reconnection. Understanding of the global behavior of this system has improved markedly in the recent past from coordinated observations with a constellation of satellite and ground instruments.